Blood Diamond

A soldier of fortune in Africa (Leonardo DiCaprio) smuggles diamonds that are helping to finance a bloody civil war in Sierra Leone—but an encounter with an American reporter (Jennifer Connelly) and a refugee (Djimon Hounsou) who has hidden a 100-carat stone forces him to change his priorities. Charles Leavitt’s script is part treasure hunt, part geopolitical thriller, with a dash of romance (none too convincing) between DiCaprio and Connelly and sturdy nobility (quite convincing) from Hounsou. Edward Zwick’s customary workmanlike direction keeps the action moving in a fairly straight line for most of its 138 minutes, and the film ends with an exhortation to “consumers” to make sure they buy only “conflict-free” diamonds—apparently for the benefit of those who go diamond shopping every Saturday.